My location is in north central Connecticut…2 hours
southwest of Boston. It will be weeks before we see Boston again. Why? Good old fashioned New England snowstorms…one on top of another!
In three weeks time, we had a blizzard, then a snowstorm,
and now another blizzard (for Boston) and lots of blowing and drifting snow for
the rest of us. Right now it’s 13° F. with a wind chill of -5° F. That’s quite
a bit warmer than when I got up. The wind is a steady 20 mph from the WNW.
Translation: it feels damned cold.
So, what does one do while these storms are in progress?
Here’s a sample.
There is the usual getting up routine. I’ll spare you the
details. Once the coffee is made, I sit in front of the TV while I doze and
sip. Once I’m really awake, I grab my iPad and catch up on what’s been going on
since last night. Usually not too much. Although this morning I was greeted
with a photo of my great granddaughter (just turned 1 year old) munching on a
waffle. She’s so darned cute even without the waffle!
Once that’s done, it’s time to get dressed. Yup. Haven’t
done that yet. And, because I know I will be shoveling and sweating later, no
sense taking my shower now. Once the proper ablutions have been completed and
the sufficient clothing for today’s temps, I head down to the kitchen for
breakfast.
Of course no one is making it for me, but it’s the same
breakfast every Sunday morning so I don’t even have to think about it. Sausage
patty sizzling in the pan. A small red potato pealed and diced. Toss that in
with the patty. Take patty out and put in toaster oven to keep hot. Once the
potatoes are done, they join the sausage patty on a plate in the oven. I have
already cut some asparagus into small pieces and they are now being sautéed in
that same frying pan. Last, the egg mixture is added to the pan and scrambled
away. Breakfast is ready and I sit down at the table with the Sunday morning Hartford
Courant and enjoy.
Now, here comes the shoveling/sweaty part. Although the
landscaper’s crew has been through with shovels and snow blowers, I still have
to wade out to my car and start it. I had a dead battery last week and needed
AAA to jump-start my car. The battery checked out OK at the dealer’s by the
way. But I’m not taking any chances.
While the car is running, I go out back to clear the space
for the birds. It’s a large space. It faces north-north-west and the wind was
howling like I haven’t heard in a long time. The snow was only about 3-4 inches
deep so it didn’t take long to shovel. All the while the birds were cheering me
on. Or…was that their way of complaining I wasn’t moving fast enough?
Once the shoveling/sweating is done, the feeders need to be
tended to and seed scattered for the ground feeders. Even with all the work it
takes to keep up with the feeders, it’s worth it. The birds give me such joy
just watching them come in to feed.
 |
| Even though these pictures were taken earlier this month, everything looks the same Snow, snow and more snow! |
Now all of that is done! What’s next? Sitting in front of
the TV with the rest of this morning’s paper and as many basketball games of
interest I can find.
So, that’s just me. There are plenty of hardy folks around
here who will hit the ski slopes or the hills to toboggan or sled. I might enjoy that, sledding that is, if it was not so cold and windy. I just wish I could get out there and walk! And for
those of you who know me, you know I can’t wait to get my bike out and start
riding. Come on, Mother Nature! Have Mercy!!!!
PS: Yes, I remembered to turn the car off.
